Salt seasons, purifies, preserves. But somebody ought to remind us that salt also irritates. Real living Christianity rubs this world the wrong way.
—Vance Havner—
Key points: The futile quest to be liked often leads individuals and groups to a place where they neither are liked nor respected. Christians should be far more interested in honoring Jesus than in saying and doing things that will cause non-Christians to like them, the church, and Christianity. Jesus transforms lives, but He often does so by upsetting them. Believers need to understand that this is a necessary process.
The apostle Paul was on his second missionary journey when he arrived at Thessalonica, the capital1 of Macedonia. The population of the city numbered around 200,000 at the time.2 A synagogue was located there, so over a period of three Sabbaths, Paul “reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead” (Acts 17:2-3). Of course, his main point was that Jesus is the Christ, God’s anointed One—the only One in whom forgiveness and eternal life can be found and the One to whom everyone everywhere owes allegiance. Acts 17:4 tells us that “some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.”
Seeing that the group of individuals who had responded to Paul’s teaching was significant, a certain number of unbelieving Jews grew “envious” and took action. They incited a riot. Looking for the missionaries themselves but unable to find them, they and hauled Jason, who had housed them (see v. 7), and several other believers before the Thessalonian officials. Of what did they accuse these Christians? Angrily, they cried out, “Those who have turned the world upside down have come here too. Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus” (vv. 6-7). These accusations disturbed everyone to such an extent that the believers arranged “immediately” for Paul and Silas to slip “away by night” to Berea (vv. 8,10). Jason and the others were required to post bond and thereafter were released. You can read Luke’s full account of this incident in Acts 17:1-10.
Why Such Hostility?
Let’s consider the anger and jealousy of the Jews in this passage. Listen again to the accusations they leveled against Paul, Silas, and those who responded to their message.
“These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.”
The word translated another in the phrase “another king” conveys the idea that this Jesus was “another [king] of a different kind.”3 This charge echoed one of the main accusations Jesus’ accusers used against Him in their efforts to get Him crucified.
Just as the charges against Jesus were false, so too were the corresponding charges against His followers. While Jesus certainly was and is a King unlike Caesar, those accusing Paul, Silas, and the new Christians in Thessalonica of being supremely devoted to Jesus were trying to say the believers were committing treason against Rome. They weren’t—but it certainly was true that they and the rest of the early Christians were making a profound difference in the world. How do we know this? Even the Christians’ opponents said the believers had “turned the world upside down”!
Swimming Upstream
During the days of the early church, Christians faced a wide array of serious accusations. An article at christianity.com lists ten misdeeds of which followers of Christ were accused. Some of these clearly were based on misunderstandings. Consider the example we just cited. Could a Christian be a good citizen of Rome and a follower of Christ at the same time? The believers knew they could, but they also knew they had to draw the line when they were told they must put anyone or anything above Christ. They could not and would not disobey Christ; nor would they misrepresent or renounce Him. As we said in a previous post,
Rome was a society where worship of pagan gods was commonplace. In the empire, it was a widespread practice to offer libations to pay homage to various deities. For example, an individual might pour oil or wine on an object or an altar in honor of a designated god or goddess. Christians, who had affirmed Jesus as Lord, steadfastly refused to do this. They wouldn’t call Caesar Lord, either, so they were widely accused of being atheists. They were given many opportunities prove they were innocent of the charge—if they would disown Christ, that would bring honor to the gods of Rome and appease their accusers. Many believers resisted and were thrown in prison, tortured, and/or executed.4
Several other things about the Christians irritated the Romans as well. Although not perfect, followers of Christ lived morally pure lives. Their lives therefore stood in stark contrast to the accepted ways of life among the Romans. This included resisting institutionalized practices that had moral components unacceptable to Christians, and the Romans hated the believers for refusing to be involved. Here is how Minucius Felix, a Christian apologist at the time, summarized the Romans’ objections: “You do not attend our shows; you take no part in the processions; you are not present at our public banquets; you abhor the sacred [gladiatorial] games.”5 Moreover, Christians opposed these practices that were common in 1st-century Rome: suicide; abortion; the killing of infants; abandonment of infants; homosexuality; the degrading of women; and patria potestas, which, simply put, made the father a dictator in the family.6
We can look to the early Christians for guidance and wisdom on how to live out our faith in an inhospitable world. Not only did they remain faithful to Christ as they lived among individuals who disagreed with them, opposed them, and hated them; but they also remained faithful as they endured the wrath of a hostile government. Still, the church grew!7
Demonstrations of God’s Power
In an insightful article titled “12 Things the Early Church Didn’t Need to Change the World for Jesus,” Joseph Mattera challenges his readers by suggesting that “sometimes what we deem necessary [to draw people to Christ] may prove to be a stumbling block in our quest for exponential, explosive church growth. Among the 12 items Mattera lists are these:
-
-
- An Accommodating Culture
- A Worship Team
- Social Media and Technology
- A Financial War-Chest8
-
It’s interesting that while the early Christians didn’t really have in mind transforming the world, they did so just by doing what Christians are supposed to do! Remaining faithful to Christ in all the spheres in which they had influence, the early believers impacted the people around them, and consequently the cities, towns, and cultures in which they lived and worked. Their behavior — such as their refusal to worship anyone but Christ and their resolute determination to live morally pure lives, despite what “everyone else around them was doing” — must have seemed foolish to their fellow countrymen.9
Can’t you imagine it? Scratching their heads, a Christian family’s unbelieving neighbors surely would wonder, Why do these Christians make choices that cause them to suffer and be persecuted? It’s so unnecessary! How foolish can they be? Yet, irony of ironies, it was that very behavior, as well as the attitudes the believers held in the midst of all the challenges they faced, that transformed the Roman empire and its culture from the inside out.10
Revolutionary!
The history of the early church demonstrates the nature and effect of the Christian influence. Yes, some people get upset with Christians for taking the stands they take. Some are bewildered. Some are upset and bewildered. Numerous individuals will become envious and may even incite riots, just as the unbelieving Jews did when they saw how many, and whom, had been converted to Christianity under Paul’s teaching. But others welcome the gospel and are reconciled to God. Still others may eventually become Christians, although not right away. The point is that despite the upheaval, and perhaps in some cases as a result of it, people commit their lives to Jesus Christ. Christ, in turn, transforms them by forgiving their sins, giving them new life, and sending the Holy Spirit to help them live lives that reflect the reality that they now are in a right relationship with God.
Commenting on Acts 17:6, James Montgomery Boice writes that because the world already has been upset by sin, this kind of upheaval actually sets the world right side up.11 It is revolutionary in the best sense of the word! Boice further declares, “I wish all Christians would upset the world” as Paul did. “A lot are upsetting other people, but not like that. They should be upsetting the world by giving the grace of God to it through the preaching of his Word. This alone is able to bring the world back to its senses and bring blessing.”12
Paul and Silas had been upsetting the world. But that wasn’t a bad thing for them to do. It was a good thing, because the world had already been turned upside down by sin. So by turning it upside down again, they were actually setting it right.
—James Montgomery Boice13—
Takeaways
Let’s briefly examine five takeaways from our study thus far.
First, while we should expect that people will respond to the gospel when we share it, we also should expect that some will not. In fact, resistance on the part of certain individuals will be strong, and even vitriolic.
Second, we must act strategically. While “the brethren” in Thessalonica “immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea” (17:10), the believers who were converted under Paul’s ministry remained, and the church at Thessalonica was established. The Thessalonian Christians continued to preach the message Paul had given them, and they clearly did so amidst resistance. Early in Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonian Christians, the apostle wrote,
6And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything (1 Thess. 1:6-8).
We see later in the letter that Paul needed to instruct his initial readers regarding Christ’s second coming, and he did just that. Even so, the Christians in Thessalonica could be commended for focusing on Christ and continuing to share the good news about Him with others, despite any resistance they received.
Third, we should never “go along to get along.” Put another way, we mustn’t compromise. It would have been all too easy for the early believers to go with the flow of the Roman culture and not make waves. Their allegiance, however, was to Christ, and they were being asked to betray Him. This they could not do.
Similarly, we also might find it easy to give a little here, a little there, because we want so desperately not to offend those we are trying to reach. We know the message we have for people points them to life, forgiveness, and ultimate purpose, so we fervently want them to respond. Ultimately, however, they’re not responding to us, but to God. The truth is that God will bestow grace on those who come to Him on His conditions, and not on those who insist on having their own way. As John Stonestreet of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview has said, “[I]f your God never tells you to do anything you don’t want to do, your god is probably you.”
If your God never tells you to do anything you don’t want to do, your god is probably you.
—John Stonestreet—
The gospel, therefore, is inherently offensive. It rubs against people’s natural tendencies and proclivities. Indeed, it must! As we said in a previous post, “Stripped of its ability to offend, the message of the gospel also is robbed of its power to save.” This means, however, that sharing the gospel and standing up for righteousness makes Christians bull’s-eye targets. The bull’s eye really isn’t us, though—it’s God! We’re just the conveyers of the truth.
Stripped of its ability to offend, the message of the gospel also is robbed of its power to save.
Upholding the truth puts us on the hot seat, without question. We’re on it for Christ’s sake, of course—and we ought to count that an honor in and of itself. Yet we’re also there for the sake of those we are trying to reach. This is the fourth takeaway we are highlighting.
In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul wrote of how he and others had ministered to the Corinthian Christians for their sakes.14
7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 10always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
Then, significantly, Paul added,
12So then death is working in us, but life in you (2 Cor. 4:7-12).
When we share the gospel, people benefit! Even those who respond negatively are better off. They now know the truth. The Holy Spirit will use what we have shared to convict them “of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” It is not our job to convert people; that is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, in sharing the gospel with people—regardless of how they respond—we have obeyed Christ.
Finally, let’s consider a fifth principle. Taking a stand for righteousness in the culture—just as the early Christians did when they lived lives that clearly were morally pure and thus counter-cultural—will certainly turn some people off to the gospel. We may be tempted to separate moral guidelines and righteous causes from the gospel itself, but we cannot. For one thing, we are called on to love our neighbor, and it isn’t loving to ignore moral traps and pitfalls in society, especially when children are at risk. Second, while our stands for righteousness at times will appear to drive a great many away, they will attract others. At least some will see in us that we love Christ supremely. Jesus Himself said,
13You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.15Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matt. 5:13-16).
Think of all the people who now know of Barronelle Stutzman’s devotion to Christ because of her unwavering commitment to uphold biblical marriage. Just as the pagans in Rome accused Christians of acting foolishly, many non-Christians today (and sadly, some Christians as well) also are convinced Barronelle is acting foolishly. Yet Barronelle knows that ultimately, marriage is about the gospel. Her conscience will not permit her to participate in an event that says this sacred union is something it is not. Jack Phillips’s strong stand for marriage drew his nephew to Christ. It also has inspired others to courageously stand up for the truth in their spheres of influence. Certainly Barronelle’s example has done the same.
So you see, speaking out boldly for righteousness in the culture is one way Christians can demonstrate their love and devotion for Christ. Ultimately, it’s about the gospel. If people see that we love Christ enough to contend for the things He says are important, then they also have a chance to see that the gospel has made a profound difference in our own lives. They’ll realize as well that we’re not PLR people (people who always take the path of least resistance). Christ transforms those who willingly follow Him into people of substance and courage. If we are not such people, it’s our fault, not His!
Applying Biblical Truths
Against the backdrop of
-
-
- Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica,
- the impact of the early Christians on the world, and
- the five takeaways we have considered,
-
I’d like to explore in one or more future posts an important challenge Christians face today. Online bookseller Amazon has decided it no longer will offer resources that help people who are experiencing unwanted same-sex attraction overcome it. Amazon isn’t alone, either. Other tech giants also are maneuvering against Christians and conservatives and working diligently to filter out their viewpoints.
How should we respond?
Stay tuned! In two weeks, we’ll try to begin tackling this issue.
Next week’s post will carry a special emphasis.
Copyright © 2019 by B. Nathaniel Sullivan. All right reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture has been taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
top image credit: Lightstock
image credit: map showing the spread of Christianity to AD 600
.png){kind=link}
Notes:
1,2Kendell H. Easley, Holman Quick Source Guide to Understanding the Bible, (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2002), 318.
3Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament, Volume 1, (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1989), 470.
4Alvin J. Schmidt, Under the Influence: How Christianity Transformed Civilization, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 25.
5Quoted in Schmidt, 27.
6Schmidt.
7Schmidt, 33
8Mattera also lists “Political Affiliation” and says, “The Early Church only promoted and affiliated in public with Christ’s kingdom. They believed that affiliating with a heathen government like Rome compromised their allegiance to the reign of God.” The implication here is that 21st-century American Christians would do well to become as apolitical as possible. As a politically conservative Christian, I do not see America’s hope as coming from Washington or any political party, but I do see dangers in intentionally trying to be apolitical. Why? Because political neutrality simply does not exist.
9,10Schmidt, 39.
11,12,13James Montgomery Boice, Acts: An Expositional Commentary, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997, 290.
14We cited some of these same verses not long ago in a post where we considered recent development’s in Barronelle Stutzman’s case.
Be First to Comment